The Most Excellent Way

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)

I was getting my hair cut and the woman in the chair next to me was droning on and on about how so and so did this, and so and so is doing that. I know I'm in a hair salon, which are notorious centers of gossip, but I just wanted to lean over and ask. "Do you have any philosophical or moral objections to the president's new economic stimulus package?"

The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. (Proverbs 16:21)

Lest you think I engage in grandiose conversations on a regular basis. let me assure you that I do not. However, I have been challenged lately by what I do spend my words and time on. We get so caught up in the endless chatter of daily life that we often don't dig in deeper. Of course, we are created for relationships, and chatting about how so and so is doing such and such does keep us connected, sometimes in a voyeuristic kind of way. But it's reporting about life, not living it. It's sharing details not uplifting words. It's skimming the surface and not going to the heart.

Let your conversations always be full of grace... (Col 4:6)